KR102066165B1 - Two-dimensional array ultrasonic wave sensor and method for acquiring three dimensional image using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor and a three-dimensional image signal acquisition method using the same. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor, in the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor for transmitting the first ultrasonic wave to the subject and receiving the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject to obtain a three-dimensional image, mxn (where m and n are two or more natural numbers), the plurality of unit cells generating the first ultrasound or receiving the second ultrasound; And m high voltage drivers corresponding to each of the rows of the mxn array, wherein each of the high voltage drivers applies a voltage to n unit cells constituting a corresponding row. However, among all the unit cells of a row including the unit cell to perform the transmission function, by floating the other end of the ultrasonic transducer in the other unit cell except the unit cell to perform the transmission function, power consumption is reduced It provides a two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor to reduce.

Description

TWO-DIMENSIONAL ARRAY ULTRASONIC WAVE SENSOR AND METHOD FOR ACQUIRING THREE DIMENSIONAL IMAGE USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor, and more particularly, to a two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor for acquiring three-dimensional ultrasound image and a three-dimensional image signal acquisition method using the same.

In order to obtain a high quality medical image or to implement a fingerprint recognition sensor, a 3D ultrasound image is required, and an ultrasonic sensor technology for this is being actively developed.

In order to obtain a three-dimensional ultrasound image, an ultrasonic sensor arranged in two dimensions (hereinafter referred to as '2D') is required, and a large number of unit cells must be arranged in a small area in order to obtain high resolution. Accordingly, in order to implement a 2D array ultrasonic sensor, a large number (eg, hundreds to thousands) of ultrasonic transducers and a transmission / reception circuit for driving the transducers are required.

In the case of a conventional ultrasonic sensor in which the number of unit cells is not large, the ultrasonic transducer and the transmission / reception circuit are connected by wires, but in the case of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor, the number of unit cells is too large. Can't. Therefore, the 2D array ultrasonic sensor should be implemented by directly bonding an ultrasonic transducer and a transmission / reception circuit, or directly manufacturing a transducer on a semiconductor die in which the transmission / reception circuit is implemented.

For this reason, in order to implement a 2D array ultrasonic sensor, a transceiving circuit cell design that is pixel-to-pixel matching with the transducer is required, and the following requirements must be satisfied when designing the cell.

First, in order to implement an ultrasonic sensor for finger vein or fingerprint detection, the cell must be designed in the direction of minimizing the unit cell size in order to increase the resolution, and in order to implement an ultrasonic sensor used in a mobile or wearable device, power consumption is required. Cell design should be done in the direction of minimization. In addition, since the 2D array ultrasonic sensor transmits and receives an ultrasonic signal using the same transducer, a 2D array ultrasonic sensor requires a circuit capable of separating the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit.

However, driving a transducer typically requires a high voltage (eg, 15V or higher), which requires a high voltage transistor that can withstand high voltages. Should be used. Also, because dynamic voltage consumption is proportional to the driving voltage (P = CV ² f), a lot of power must be used. In addition, low noise amplifier circuits are required at the front end to process the ultrasonic signals received from the transducers, which require a large amount of power and a large area.

1 illustrates examples of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to a conventional embodiment. In particular, FIG. 1 shows an example of a 2 × 2 arrangement.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1A, the 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure may be Hereinafter, referred to as a 'first conventional embodiment' 10 includes two high voltage switches 11 and a transducer 12 inside the unit cell A. In addition, by controlling the on / off of the two high voltage switches 11, a shared transmitter (HV driver) 13 and a receiver (LNA) 14 are specified, one for each row. Connect with a column Therefore, it is possible to transmit / receive independently of the corresponding column. The first exemplary embodiment of the related art has a disadvantage in that the size of a unit cell is increased because two high voltage switches 11 are used in the unit cell A. In addition, in order to share one transmitter 13 and the receiver 14 for each row, a long transmission line connecting them is required, and the long transmission line is very vulnerable to noise coupling, and thus has a low noise characteristic. There is a disadvantage.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to the second exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1B, the 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to the second exemplary embodiment Hereinafter, referred to as a 'second conventional embodiment' 20 is a high voltage switch 21, a transducer 22, a transmitter (HV driver) 23 inside a unit cell B. ), A receiver (LNA) 24 and a delay layer 25 are integrated. In this case, there is an advantage that the low noise characteristics are improved as compared to the first embodiment of the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1A, but there is a disadvantage that the unit cell size is increased.

FIG. 1C illustrates an example of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to a third exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1C, the 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to the third exemplary embodiment Hereinafter, referred to as a 'third embodiment' 30, a receiver Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) 31 inside each cell C and a low voltage switch 32 connected to the input / output terminals thereof, respectively. 33, and a transmitter (H / V driver) 35, which includes a transducer 34 and is shared in a row unit, is connected to the transducer 34 of each cell through the high voltage switch 36. do.

When the 2D array ultrasonic sensor receives a signal, the low voltage switch 32 connected to the output of the low noise amplifier 31 transfers the output of the low noise amplifier 31 to the receiver of the corresponding row, and the low voltage switch connected to the second stage of the transducer ( 33 is connected to the input of the low noise amplifier 31 so that the signal received at the transducer 34 is transmitted through the low noise amplifier 31 to the receiving end of the row. On the contrary, when transmitting a signal, the low voltage switch 33 connected to the second stage of the transducer operates all the transducers connected to the corresponding row by connecting the second stage of the transducer to ground.

In this case, since the low noise amplifier 31 is included inside the cell, the low noise characteristic is improved, and since there is no need to use a high voltage switch, there is an advantage of minimizing the unit cell area. However, since the transmitter operates all the transducers connected to the row, the number of unit cells connected to the row is proportional, so that the size of a capacitor driven by each transmitter increases, so the power consumption of the transmitter is very large. There is this.

E. Kang, et. Al., “A Reconfigurable 24 x 40 Element Transceiver ASIC for compace 3D medical Ultrasound Probes” ESSCIRC 2017 2. Yusaku Katsube, et. Al., “Single-Chip 3072ch 2D Array IC with RX Analog and All-digital TX Beamformer for 3D Ultrasound Imaging” ISSCC 2017 3. Hao-Yen Tang, et. Al., “3D Ultrasonic Finger Sensor-on-a Chip”, ISSCC 2016

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor capable of miniaturization while maintaining a high resolution by minimizing the size of a unit cell and a method of obtaining a three-dimensional image signal using the same.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor and a three-dimensional image signal acquisition method using the same that can be easily used in a mobile or wearable device to minimize the power consumption.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, the two-dimensional array ultrasonic sensor provided by the present invention in the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor for transmitting the first ultrasonic wave to the subject and receiving the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject to obtain a three-dimensional image, a plurality of unit cells arranged in mxn (where m and n are two or more natural numbers) to generate the first ultrasound or to receive the second ultrasound; And m high voltage drivers corresponding to each of the rows of the mxn array, wherein each of the high voltage drivers applies a voltage to n unit cells constituting a corresponding row. .

In this case, each of the plurality of unit cells has one end connected to an output terminal of the high voltage driver to generate the first ultrasound when a high voltage is applied from the high voltage driver, and acquire a 3D image in response to the second ultrasound. Ultrasonic transducer for generating an electrical pulse for the; A low noise amplifier for amplifying and outputting an electrical pulse generated by the transducer; A first low voltage switch controlling a connection between an input terminal of the low noise amplifier and a ground; A second low voltage switch controlling a connection between an output terminal of the low noise amplifier and a reception line of a row including a corresponding unit cell among reception lines formed differently for each row; And a high voltage switch for controlling the connection of the other end of the transducer to the input end of the low noise amplifier.

The two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor may further include an output value of each of the m high voltage drivers, first and second low voltage switches constituting the unit cell, and the high voltage switch, respectively, based on a preset operation program or an external operation signal. It is preferable to further include a control unit for controlling the on / off of.

The controller may set the output value of each of the m high voltage drivers to 0 V or a high voltage (eg, 15 V or more), but set the output values of each of the m high voltage drivers to be the same or selectively the same. Do.

The controller may set an output value of a high voltage driver corresponding to a row including unit cells to process a reception function to 0V, and set the output value of the high voltage driver corresponding to a row including unit cells to process a transmission function. It is preferable to set the output value to a pulse signal.

The controller may control the first and second low voltage switches constituting the corresponding cell and the on / off of each of the high voltage switches according to the function of the unit cells.

In addition, the controller 'turns on' the high voltage switch and the second low voltage switch of the cells to process the reception function among the unit cells, and 'turns off' the first low voltage switch.

In addition, the controller 'turns on' the high voltage switch and the first low voltage switch of the cells that will process the transmission function among the unit cells, and 'turns off' the second low voltage switch.

According to the present invention, an ultrasonic sensor for acquiring a three-dimensional image signal by minimizing the size of a unit cell includes a low noise amplifier inside a cell and uses only one high voltage switch to improve power consumption and cell area while improving low voltage characteristics. Can be minimized. Because of this, the present invention has the advantage that can be implemented in a small while maintaining a high resolution.

In addition, the present invention can implement an ultrasonic sensor that can be easily used in a mobile or wearable device by minimizing power consumption.

1 is a diagram illustrating examples of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to a conventional embodiment.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor according to an exemplary embodiment.
3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a unit cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of obtaining a 3D image signal using a 2D array ultrasonic sensor according to an exemplary embodiment.
5 is a graph comparing operating characteristics of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention and a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to a conventional embodiment.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements.

Terms such as first, second, A, and B may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. The term and / or includes a combination of a plurality of related items or any item of a plurality of related items.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but it may be understood that other components may be present in between. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in between.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, the 2D array ultrasonic sensor 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention transmits a first ultrasonic wave to a subject and receives a second ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject to acquire a 3D image. , A plurality of unit cells 110 arranged in two dimensions, and a plurality of high voltage drivers 120 and 121.

The plurality of unit cells 110 arranged in two dimensions are arranged in m x n (where m and n are two or more natural numbers) to generate the first ultrasound or receive the second ultrasound. That is, each of the unit cells 110 operates as a transmitting cell or a receiving cell by a control signal input from the outside. In the example of FIG. 2, the case of a 2 × 2 array is illustrated.

The high voltage drivers 120 and 121 correspond to each of the rows of the two-dimensional array. Thus, an ultrasonic sensor composed of unit cells of an m x n array includes m high voltage drivers. FIG. 2 shows an example of an ultrasonic sensor 100 composed of unit cells 110 in a 2 × 2 arrangement, so the ultrasonic sensor 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes two high voltage drivers 120 and 121. . As such, the high voltage drivers 120 and 121 corresponding to each of the rows are shared by the unit cells constituting the corresponding row, and the voltage is applied to the corresponding cells from outside the unit cells 110. In the example of FIG. 2, high voltage driver 120 is shared by cells # 1 and # 2 and applies a voltage to cells # 1 and # 2, and high voltage driver 121 is applied to cells # 3 and # 4. Is shared by and applies a voltage to cells # 3 and # 4.

3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a unit cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a unit cell 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transducer 210, a low noise amplifier (LNA) 220, first and second low voltage switches 230 and 240. ), The high voltage switch 250.

The transducer 210 generates a first ultrasound to be transmitted to the subject or generates a corresponding electrical pulse in response to the second ultrasound reflected from the subject. To this end, the transducer 210 has one end connected to the output terminal of the high voltage driver (only described as an example of '120 or 121', hereinafter '120' in Figure 1), the other end is connected to the high voltage switch 250 Connected. The transducer 210 generates and outputs the first ultrasonic wave in response to a high voltage applied from a high voltage driver ('120' in FIG. 1) when the corresponding unit cell 200 operates as a transmitting cell, and outputs the corresponding unit. When the cell 200 operates as a reception cell, the cell 200 generates an electrical pulse for acquiring a 3D image in response to the second ultrasonic waves reflected from the subject.

The low noise amplifier 220 amplifies and outputs an electrical pulse generated by the transducer 210.

The first low voltage switch 230 controls the connection between the input terminal of the low noise amplifier 220 and the ground, and the second low voltage switch 240 controls the connection between the output terminal of the low noise amplifier 220 and the receiving line. At this time, the receiving line is formed differently for each row, and the second low voltage switch 240 is connected between the receiving line of the row including the corresponding unit cell 200 and the output terminal of the low noise amplifier 220. To control.

The high voltage switch 250 controls the connection between the other end of the transducer 210 and the input end of the low noise amplifier 220.

In this case, the switches 230 to 250 serve to determine the function of the corresponding unit cell 200. That is, the switches 230 to 250 determine whether the corresponding unit cell 200 operates as a transmitting cell or a receiving cell under external control.

To this end, the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor 100 of the present invention, the control unit (not shown) for controlling the on / off operation of the switches 230 to 250 based on a preset operation program or an external operation signal. It is preferable to include.

In this case, the controller (not shown) may determine the output value of each of the m high voltage drivers included in the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor composed of the unit cells of the m x n array. That is, the controller (not shown) may set the output value of each of the m high voltage drivers to 0V or high voltage. For example, when transmitting a signal, a high voltage driver of a selected row may output a pulse signal between 0 V and a high voltage so that the high voltage pulse signal may generate vibration of the transducer to generate an ultrasonic signal. Conversely, when no signal is being sent or received, the output of the high voltage driver can be set to 0V. This is because the function of the unit cells is determined by the on / off operation of the switches 230 to 250 and the output value of the high voltage drivers.

The controller (not shown) corresponds to a row composed of unit cells to perform a receiving function among unit cells of an mxn array constituting the 2D ultrasonic sensor to control a receiving function of the 2D ultrasonic sensor. The output value of the high voltage driver is set to 0 V, and the high voltage switch and the second low voltage switch inside the cells to process the reception function are 'on' and the first low voltage switch is controlled to 'off'. For example, when the unit cell 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 is cell # 1 of FIG. 1, and the unit cell 200 needs to perform a reception function, the controller (not shown) may turn the high voltage switch 250 on the ' 'On', the first low voltage switch 230 is 'off' to connect the other end of the transducer 210 and the input terminal of the low noise amplifier 220, and 'on' the second low voltage switch 240 to turn on the low noise amplifier ( Connect the output terminal of 220 to the receiving line RX <0> of the corresponding column. Then, the output value of the high voltage driver 120 is set to 0V so that 0V is applied to one end of the transducer 210. Then, the signal sensed by the transducer 210 (that is, the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject) is amplified by the low noise amplifier 220 and then transferred to the receiving line RX <0>.

On the other hand, the controller (not shown), in order to control the transmission function of the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor, of the unit cells of the mxn array constituting the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor, the high voltage switch and the first inside the unit cells to perform the transmission function The low voltage switch is controlled to 'on' and the second low voltage switch is controlled to 'off'. At this time, the high voltage switch inside the unit cells other than the unit cells to perform the transmission function is controlled to be 'off'. This is so that even if a high voltage is applied to one end of the transducer, the other end is floated so that it does not act as a load of the high voltage driver. For example, when the unit cell 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 is cell # 3 of FIG. 1 and the unit cell 200 needs to perform a transmission function, the controller (not shown) may control the high voltage switch 250. The first low voltage switch 230 is 'on' and the second low voltage switch is 'off' so that the other end of the transducer 210 is controlled to 0V. The output value of the high voltage driver 121 applies a pulse output between 0 V and the high voltage to generate the first ultrasound to be transmitted to the subject through vibration of the transducer.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of obtaining a 3D image signal using a 2D array ultrasonic sensor according to an exemplary embodiment. 2 to 4, a method of obtaining a 3D image signal using the 2D array ultrasonic sensor of the present invention is as follows.

In this case, below, the 2D array ultrasonic sensor of the present invention operates under the control of a controller (not shown), has a 2 x 2 array, and the cells (cells # 1 and ## 2) included in the first column have a reception function. The first column (ie, cell # 3) of the cells (cell # 3, cell # 4) included in the second column is a cell for processing a transmission function, and the inside of each cell The structure will be described by way of example in the case as illustrated in FIG. 3.

First, in order to perform the transmission function, in step S100, the controller (not shown) generates the first ultrasound. To this end, the controller (not shown) controls the high voltage driver 121 to generate the high voltage 15V, and all unit cells (cells) in the row including the unit cell (cell # 3) to perform the transmission function. A pulse signal between 0 V and a high voltage is applied to one end of the ultrasonic transducer included in # 3 and cell # 4). The other end of the ultrasonic transducer in the unit cell (cell # 3) to perform the transmission function is grounded. That is, when the cell 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 is the cell # 3, the pulse signal generated by the high voltage driver 121 is applied to one end of the transducer 210, and the other end of the transducer 210 is grounded. . To this end, the controller (not shown) 'turns on' the high voltage switch 250 and the first low voltage switch 230 and turns off the second low voltage switch 240. Meanwhile, the controller (not shown) is connected to the same row as the unit cell (cell # 3) to perform the transmission function, but the unit cell (cell # 4) not to perform the transmission function is connected to the other end of the internal transducer. Floating ensures that the transducer does not act as a load for the high voltage driver even when a pulse signal is applied at one end. For example, when the cell 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 is cell # 4, the controller (not shown) may turn off the high voltage switch 250 connected to the other end of the transducer 210, thereby causing the transducer 210 to be turned off. Float the other end of. Accordingly, the cell # 3 and the cell # 4 are connected to the same row so that the high voltage generated by the high voltage driver 121 is equally applied. However, only the cell # 3 generates the first ultrasound to be transmitted to the transmitting cell. Play a role.

In operation S200, the ultrasonic transducers in the unit cells (cells # 1 and # 2) to perform a reception function detect the second ultrasonic waves and output an electrical signal corresponding thereto. To this end, the controller (not shown) controls the output value of the high voltage driver 120 to 0V, and at one end of the ultrasonic transducer included in the unit cells (cell # 1 and cell # 2) to perform the reception function. The output value 0V of the high voltage driver 120 is applied. The other end of the transducer is connected to the input of the low noise amplifier. For example, when the cell 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 is cell # 1 or cell # 2, the controller (not shown) applies an output value (0V) of the high voltage driver 120 to one end of the transducer 210. In addition, the high voltage switch 250 and the second low voltage switch 240 are 'on' and the first low voltage switch 230 is controlled to 'off' so that the other end of the transducer 210 and the input terminal of the low noise amplifier 220 are controlled. Connect.

In operation S300, the electric signal output in operation S200 is amplified by the low noise amplifier 220 included in the corresponding unit cell, and then transferred to the low receiving line including the corresponding unit cell. For example, when the cell 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 is the cell # 1 or the cell # 2, the signal received by the transducer 210 and converted into an electrical signal is passed through the high voltage switch 250 to the low noise amplifier 220. ), The low noise amplifier 220 amplifies the signal and transfers the signal to the receiving line RX <0> through the second low voltage switch 240.

As described above, according to the present invention, a high voltage driver for generating a high voltage for a transmission function is connected to the unit cells arranged in two dimensions, and a low noise amplifier for a reception function is connected to the unit cells, thereby improving power consumption while improving low voltage characteristics. It can be minimized. On the other hand, by using only one high voltage switch inside the unit cell, it is advantageous to minimize the cell area.

5 is a graph comparing operating characteristics of a 2D array ultrasonic sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention and a 2D array ultrasonic sensor implemented according to a conventional embodiment. In particular, Figure 5 is a simulation result showing the transmitter output waveform (D) of the present invention and the transmitter output waveform (E) according to the conventional embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 (c). Referring to FIG. 5, in the case of the transmitter output waveform D of the present invention, since the load of the high voltage driver is much smaller, the transmitter according to the conventional embodiment illustrated in FIG. It can be seen that it has a rising time and a falling time faster than the output waveform E. In this case, the load sms of each unit cell is modeled as 50fF and 20 unit cells are implemented for each row. In the case of the power consumption is 18.57mW in the case of the conventional embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 (c), the present invention is 8.47mW, it can be seen that the power consumption significantly reduced by more than 50%.

So far I looked at the center of the preferred embodiment for the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims (10)

In the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor for transmitting the first ultrasonic wave to the subject and receiving the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject to obtain a three-dimensional image,
a plurality of unit cells arranged in mxn (where m and n are two or more natural numbers) to generate the first ultrasound or to receive the second ultrasound; And
M high voltage drivers corresponding to each of the rows of the mxn array,
Each of the high voltage drivers,
The voltage is applied to the n unit cells constituting the corresponding row,
Each of the plurality of unit cells,
An ultrasonic transformer, which is connected to an output terminal of the high voltage driver and generates a first ultrasonic wave when a pulse signal is applied from the high voltage driver, and generates an electrical pulse for acquiring a 3D image in response to receiving the second ultrasonic wave. Producer;
A low noise amplifier for amplifying and outputting an electrical pulse generated by the transducer;
A first low voltage switch controlling a connection between an input terminal of the low noise amplifier and a ground;
A second low voltage switch controlling a connection between an output terminal of the low noise amplifier and a reception line of a row including a corresponding unit cell among reception lines formed differently for each row; And
A high voltage switch controlling a connection between the other end of the transducer and an input end of the low noise amplifier,
One end of the first low voltage switch is connected between an input terminal of the low noise amplifier and the high voltage switch,
And the other end of the first low voltage switch is connected to the ground. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor
Based on a preset operation program or external operation signal,
And a control unit controlling an output value of each of the m high voltage drivers, first and second low voltage switches constituting the unit cell, and on / off of each of the high voltage switches. . The method of claim 2, wherein the control unit
The output value of each of the m high voltage drivers is set to 0V or a pulse signal, and the output value of each of the m high voltage drivers is set to be the same or selectively the same. The method of claim 3, wherein the control unit
Set the output value of the high voltage driver corresponding to the row consisting of unit cells to process the reception function to 0V,
2D ultrasonic sensor, characterized in that the output value of the high voltage driver corresponding to a row consisting of unit cells for processing the transmission function is set as a pulse signal. The method of claim 2, wherein the control unit
And two on / off switches of the first and second low voltage switches constituting the corresponding cell and the high voltage switch according to the function of the unit cells. The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit
2. The two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor of claim 1, wherein the high voltage switch and the second low voltage switch of the unit cells to process the reception function are 'on' and the first low voltage switch is 'off'. The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit
2. The two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor of claim 1, wherein the high voltage switch and the first low voltage switch of the unit cells to process the transmission function are 'on' and the second low voltage switch is 'off'. Including a high-voltage driver for arranging unit cells including an ultrasonic transducer and a low noise amplifier in two dimensions and applying voltages to the unit cells of the corresponding row by corresponding to each row of the two-dimensional array, A method of acquiring a three-dimensional image signal of a two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the second ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject is received.
In response to the high voltage applied from the high voltage driver, driving the ultrasonic transducer in the unit cell to perform the transmission function to generate the first ultrasound;
Sensing the second ultrasonic waves in an ultrasonic transducer in a unit cell to perform a receiving function and outputting an electrical signal corresponding thereto; And
Amplifying the electrical signal in a low noise amplifier included in a corresponding unit cell and transferring the electrical signal to a low receiving line including the corresponding unit cell;
The first ultrasonic wave generating step,
Floating the other end of the ultrasonic transducer in the other unit cell except the unit cell in which the transmission function is to be performed, among all the unit cells in the row including the unit cell in which the transmission function is to be performed. 3D image signal acquisition method of a two-dimensional ultrasonic sensor. The method of claim 8, wherein the first ultrasonic wave generating step
Applying a pulse signal to one end of an ultrasonic transducer included in all unit cells of a row including a unit cell to perform the transmission function; And
And grounding the other end of the ultrasonic transducer in the unit cell to perform the transmission function. The method of claim 8, wherein the electrical signal output step
Applying a voltage of 0V to one end of an ultrasonic transducer included in a unit cell to perform the reception function; And
And connecting an input terminal of the low noise amplifier to the other end of the transducer.

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